About a month ago or so I went on trek to Sinhagar fort near Pune. I was so excited about the trek (as usual) because I had heard so much about the place. But I couldn’t make it to the fort in last five years. Well in retrospect, I must say that it was good that I didn’t go visit the place. WHY? Okay. Let me be sure that you are asking me why I think so? Please have a look at the following pictures.
But at the same time I am ashamed to share these pictures with you all. Shivaji Maharaj – a name every Indian feels proud to be associated with, one of the most clever emperors in Indian history – had never thought of this kind of treatment to his picture that too in his own territory. Well, I don’t want to exaggerate it any further. Just have a look and let me know your opinion about it.
Shivaji's picture surrounded by pile of garbage!
They couldn't find a better place to showcase the litter!
I loved reading about Vijendra Singh - the boxer who became popular after winning an Olympic medal this year. Here is very good write up on his life done by INDRANI RAJKHOWA BANERJEE from Times of India. Here we go!
A rugged village boy who rubs shoulders with the swish set and flirts with Bipasha Basu, Olympiad boxer Vijender Singh is aware he is an outsider. He is proud of his rustic roots and fights prejudices with charming confidence and a quiet dignity.
First things first. What do you look forward to when you set out to interview a hot-blooded Jat boxer? You would expect him to look you over and size you up mentally or probably greet you with a few colourful expletives... especially when the guy is a 24-year-old basking in newfound glory. But this one is different. He throws a disarming smile as his eyes meet your eyes and stay right there! That’s Vijender Singh Beniwal for you, India’s lone boxer to have won an Olympic medal.
He cannot speak English, and makes no bones about it. Can we talk in Hindi?, he asks coolly as we settle down with meethi chai in an air-conditioned hostel room, which he shares with fellow boxers Vijay and Ram Singh at Patiala’s National Sports Institute. Why stay in a hostel, now? “As a child I shared a room with my brother and five cousins. We were seven in a tiny room, and now we are just three!” Uncluttered and uncomplicated. Maybe, that’s what makes him a darling of the press. Or is it his rakish, rugged charm? “don’t know. People say I am more popular than Abhinav Bindra. It’s destiny that I was born into a humble bus driver’s family. Had I been pampered with trainers and dieticians, I wouldn’t be what I am today. I am an athlete of the soil, fed on a solid diet of bajre ki roti and bhains ka doodh . “Vijender’s roots are rock solid.
His father still works for Haryana Roadways as a bus driver. “I’ve told him to take it easy, now that we have the money. But he says the day he stops working he’ll stop living. I remember when my father used to farm a small piece of land. I helped him by watering the crops. Those were memorable days. Tilling the soil with bare hands is joy in its purest form. I think that’s why farmers have a quiet dignity about them. “This boy from a nondescript UP village called Kaluwas, along the Meham-Bhiwani road, hadn’t seen much of life or money till destiny catapulted him to overnight stardom. Today, his days are full. He jet-sets to Delhi and Mumbai every week for photo ops, endorsement deals and P3 parties, where he rubs shoulders with Bollywood stars and society babes. This six-feet-tall charmer has also walked the ramp for Rohit Bal.
He no longer has as much time to visit his folks as he would like, but he’s built them a house with all the modern trappings, including a generator that runs the desert coolers. He has set up a small-time property business for his brother, who was a havaldar in the Army. “It’s a solace that at least one of us is with my parents, “he says. There was a time when Vijender would pedal a few miles on a bicycle to watch his favourite heroines’ on TV. Today, he’s on TV with them! Other than conquering the boxing ring (he’s won another bronze in the Asian Championship in China), he’s making headlines for other conquests.
How does it feel to be linked with Bipasha Basu or to be on a show with Mallika Sherawat? “They are nice girls. People find them ‘hot’ because that’s what they are supposed to be. Their dedication to the body can only be matched by a sportsperson. I found Mallika a sensible, no-nonsense Jat girl. “Would he like to take either of them home to mum? "I’m shy when it comes to girls. I get hot under the collar when women at parties comment on my toned body. There are times when I can sense them eyeing me lustfully, but my body is my temple. I worship it.
“He schmoozes around with the swish cocktail set and with the same ease sits on the ground for a dal-roti dinner... is he the proverbial chameleon? “Life’s too shallow in the glam world. The pretences, the air-kissing, the back-stabbing... it’s surreal. But, I find it enticing at the same time.
“He surely likes the attention? “A part of me wants all the fame but I’m myself in my own surroundings. Honestly, I’m doing what is required of me. If cricketers can glamorise their sport, earn millions from endorsement deals, cozy up with Bollywood stars, why can’t I? Boxers and athletes have been underdogs for long! “ His most memorable moment? “When I saw myself on TV. It was unbelievable. “This son of the soil still can’t get over the fact that his village watched the Olympic bouts on a single TV set in a specially rigged tent for the event! Is he scared of being swept off his feet by fame and success? And does he somewhere feel ashamed of his background? “How can I forget the taujis smoking their hookahs or those lanes through which Sonu Chail (childhood best-friend, who died a few years ago) and I ran after stealing mangoes? I wouldn’t exchange them for anything in the world. There’s no question of a chasm between me and my family. They don’t embarrass me. I’ve seen so much of city life in such a short time that their simplicity is my solace. “In a world where fame has sucked many achievers into the quicksand of self-destruction and oblivion, Vijender’s steadfast ways and clarity of thought are refreshing.
A village boy at heart and a sleek social schmoozer, he straddles both boats with equal ease. Maybe, it’s his quiet dignity and zen-like calm, traits of a real boxer, which draw a Salman Khan to ask him for fitness tips. But, does he feel a misfit in hi-society, will he ever truly belong there? “don’t regret my background, my upbringing. I am what I am because of my circumstances. Where would the anger have come from if I had a sheltered upbringing? Without that fire in the belly, there would be no Vijender the boxer, right? “Right!
I know this post is coming after a long time which is not a very good thing if one wants to survive in the blog-world. I learned my lesson and will try to update it more regularly.
Well, I am very happy to share this post with you all. We (my colleagues Deepika, Sumeet, Anagha and our boss Dr. Ranade - the famous five) went for a trek to Peb-fort last Sunday and had a whale of a time. First we were planning to go to Rajmachi, but finally we decided on Peb-fort. Since we were working on Saturday, we had only iklota Sunday for the trek. But we decided to sacrifice our cozy beds and set off for the trek. I got up at 4 am on Sunday morning (yeah you read it right!) and sent an SMS to the other four trekkers who were supposed to join me. We all boarded 5:41 a.m. Mumbai local from Dadar station. I was under the impression that the train will be empty on a Sunday morning and we can easily get on the train and the entire train will be ours. But here comes the Bombay-life-reality. When we reached Dadar station, it was completely packed. I was taken aback to see thousands of people at the station so early in the morning and that too on a Sundaymorning. Anyway, when the Karjat train arrived, somehow we managed to barge in; but we all ended up in separate compartments. Later on all five of us could manage to be in the same compartment and got seats as well (so lucky!).
So we reached Neral station at around 8 a.m. and parked some sandwiches in our stomachs with cutting chai. After we were done with the eating, we started our journey straight to Peb fort. But here comes the best part of the trek; none of us were familiar with the way to the fort. So we had to explore our way.
All set to go!
These kids helped us find the right way!!
The Famous Five (...and a half)!!
It's just a beginning baby!!
Let's take some rest!!
We started climbing up. First we came across a small Jungle where some weird fat mosquitoes attacked on us as if they were having their Sunday brunch.We finally crossed that jungle and saw this beautiful Jharana (waterfall) and had some water from it. I bet it tasted thousand times better than the Bisleri water we drink everyday. (Aaaa...not exactly but it was quite okay, I mean I didn't fall sick after having it).We kept moving up and reached the top in about 2-1/2 hours.
Have some water please!!
Let me pose for the camera!!
Wow! What a scenic place!!
On Cloud 9!!
The view from the top was mind-blowing. We couldn’t believe our eyes. We had a quick lunch there, a photo session and then started our journey back to the Neral. But we couldn’t take the same way back because it was horribly difficult and scary to climb down. We then discovered a different and easier way to go down. (We took Matheran way to go back to Neral.
Wow! It's so beautiful!!
!!
!!
It's time to go back!!
After reaching the station we had cutting tea at the same shop. We boarded 3:51 fast local from Neral station and came back to Mumbai. After reaching home I had a bath in lukewarm water as suggested by my mom and went off to sleep only to get up next day morning. I had a very sound sleep that night. My maid woke me up next morning and I looked at the watch; it was 9:30 am. Shit! I hurled myself out of the bed as I had to reach office at 10 am. I quickly freshened up and slipped into formals and managed to reach office just on time. Thank God! Sitting in front of the computer I realized that each and every part of my body was aching badly. But I had a smile on my face. And I was thrilled to have such an amazing experience that left an indelible impression on my mind. And I know one thing that I can’t forget this trek ever.
Getting charged by my previous post my friend Amit writes...
People live their lives in a dazzling way in the ‘Maya Nagri’ (Mumbai). Really ‘Maya Nagri’ is full of maya (money) under which influence people commit many kind of crimes to satiate their emotional and physical desires. Not only ordinary people but also the people from so called elite class such as Shiney Ahuja, an emerging star, do such heinous act of raping somebody.
Actually this incident indicates that man is social animal and 9 people out of ten behave like an animal when they get a chance and Shini Ahuja represents the majority of the men of India. It is the misfortune of this person that this case has come into limelight otherwise such type of numerable cases happen in every nock & corner of India.I think it may be a conspiracy to frame him but future will give the answer of every question.
As you have condemned the roll of media in your blog in this case I agree with you.Actually not only in this case but also in majority of the cases the media is giving undue hype and coverage with vulgarity and promiscuity to such types of incidents to achieve more T.R.P. I think media must understand its role and there be some rule and regulations to control media in order to make it more responsible and conducive towards society.
I hope you will continue to write your views about different incident on your blogspot I hope in your further posts you will also recommend some suggestions to amend the Indian society.
Headlines from the Tinsel town keep surprising people in this country. But the latest headline about Shiney Ahuja raping a 19-year old girl has shaken the entire country. People are finding it difficult to digest the fact that Shiney Ahuja, one of the most promising film actors who won ‘Filmfare Best Debut Award’ for Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in 2006, will do such heinous act.
There are so many versions of the same story. Some say he is being framed. Others say he is a victim of blackmail by his maid and her boyfriend. According to Mumbai Police, Shiney Ahuja has accepted that he had consensual sex with his domestic help.
We don’t know whom to believe. We have no evidence of any sort. Still, the media has already declared him guilty and some funny animated tapes are being telecast by some news channel. And the language they have used is very cheap. I was shocked to see such a stupid act by that news channel. One can't see that with a family.
I am not defending Shiney at all. If he is found guilty by the court he should be given horrifying punishment to send a message to others that if you are a celebrity that doesn't mean that you can get away with anything. But the way these news channels are depicting the whole story, I personally don't admire that. If you have got some more thoughts on that please share.
Have you got bored of lying on the sofa and flicking through different channels on TV and yet nothing seems to help you kill your time? Well I understand, summer vacation is on and you are confused about what to do. Here are five tips to make the maximum out of your free time this summer. Go trekking: If you like hiking, great! and if you don’t give it a try. All you need to do is book yourself with a camp. There are many professional organizers like Camp High 5, Camp Nirvana etc. which organize regular camps and hiking at quite affordable prices. So take this opportunity to rejuvenate your body in the lap of nature and experience a whole new world. Pursue your hobby: Yes, this is the time when you can do things you like the most. If you have a hobby go for it and if you don’t then it’s high time you develop one. Believe me if you go for any job interviews, a question about your hobbies is inevitable. And there are so many cases when this question played a key role in the final decision. Hence, don’t waste your time doing nothing. You can start reading or if you have little bit liking towards any sports, go get yourself trained at that sport. There are these Gymkhanas in Mumbai which come up with a lot many training programs in different sports during summer. You can choose the one you like the most and develop it over the period. There are other options like swimming, hoarse riding, skating etc. which you can try your hands on. Vocational course: If you want to add some extra qualification to your name then try to find out a vocational course which suits you the best. You can try Sophia Polytech situated at Breach Candy, which offers few short-term vocational courses throughout the year. Another good idea can be to join a finishing school, which can give a whole new perspective to your personality and you can reap the benefits of the same throughout your life. Make a quick buck: If you are one of those who have taken a hit to their pocket money because your parents have gone through a salary cut in the wake of global recession, it’d be great if you earn few bucks and support your parents. Your parents will feel proud of you and will be touched by your responsible behaviour. You can start teaching children of your own building. This is a zero investment business but can fetch you some money in a very short span of time. If you’re not comfortable with teaching the same building children, you can always call up a couple of tuition agencies to put you on students who need tuitions. Dance the summer away: If you don’t want to be one of the ‘Pappus’ who can’t dance, then join a dance class and give a stunning surprise to your friends next time when you let your hair down in school-party. It will also help you shed those extra pounds you have put on during the exams and will get you back in shape with a perfectly toned body. There are umpteen numbers of dance academies all over Bombay which offer an array of courses such as Salsa, Jive, Tango, Bollywood dance and many more. Just google a dance academy close to your house and let your body sway to the music. So go and rock the dance floor this summer? I hope you will be having fun exploring some of the things I have written above and utilize it to make your life much more vibrant and happening.
Got tired of getting up early in the morning and rushing to catch that 8:35 local so as to get to the same boring work or you want to earn some extra money without sacrificing your current job? Well, invest some time to learn creative writing and become a freelancer. In this post I have written how one can take freelancing as a career option. Freelancing, as the name suggests, provides freedom to people to work without a long-term commitment with a company. You can do freelancing in journalism, event management, creative services etc. depending upon your area of interest. Here let's figure out how one can become a successful freelance writer. You can do freelancing sitting at home or while traveling. You can write on any subjects depending on your areas of interest. It doesn’t require going to office between ‘10 a.m. to 6 p.m.’ everyday unlike most jobs available in the market. Although you will enjoy the flexibility and freedom thrown by this profession, you be prepared to face stiff competition which will keep you on your toes especially in the beginning. Why freelancing? Like I have mentioned earlier, this is a very lucrative career option for those who don’t want to be a part of a ‘10 to 6’ type office going league. You work according to your mood and time availability. You get to do work which interests you not your boss. And most importantly, if you can’t step out of your home for whatever reason (for example a mother with a small kid), freelancing comes as a boon to kill the boredom. What does it take to be a freelancer? Pre-requisites: - A degree in journalism not necessary but helps - A published portfolio - An active blog (You can start it with http://www.blogger.com/) All these together can give you a better standing and more publicity. But the most important thing that is required to be a freelancer is ‘impeccable passion for writing’. If you don’t have that the above can’t help you survive in the industry. Many courses are available to develop and hone your writing skills. (You can try this one http://www.sakshisingh.com/) Things you need to start: One very important thing in freelancing is you have to be a well learned person. You got to keep yourself up to date and you need to read a lot of material everyday. So if you are still excited about starting your career as a freelance writer, make yourself addicted to reading. As reading resourceful books will help you enhance your writing ability on one hand, it recharges your mind with more ideas on the other. The flip side: Freelancing does not offer a steady source of income for beginners. To add to that, it requires a lot of time and a great network to reach a level where you can have respectable income. Also, I haven’t seen any freelancer becoming a millionaire. There are people who have earned immense recognition in freelance writing. People take up freelancing as a career to pursue their dreams. If you have got talent and some free time, try your hands on freelance writing. In the end, I would leave you with the following quote. ‘Freelancing offers you to become your own boss, choice is yours’
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